Joystick Diagrams

Installing Plugins

Joystick Diagrams ships with support for the main sims out of the box. Starting in 2.2.0 you can also install community plugins at runtime: both parser plugins (add support for new games) and output plugins (post-process exported diagrams, e.g. push them to OpenKneeboard). Installed plugins survive application updates.

Bundled vs. Community Plugins

Bundled plugins (DCS World, MSFS 2020, IL-2, Star Citizen, Joystick Gremlin, and OpenKneeboard) come with the app. You don't need to install them.

Community plugins are anything else: new game support, alternate exporters, integrations with third-party tools. They ship as a .zip file and are installed through the Settings page.

Install from a Zip

  1. Open Settings → Parser Plugins or Settings → Output Plugins depending on the plugin type.
  2. Click Install Plugin and select the .zip file.
  3. Joystick Diagrams validates the archive, extracts it, and lists the plugin on the same page ready to configure.
A community plugin with the same name as a bundled plugin is skipped in favour of the bundled version. Bundled always wins.

Install by Folder

If you'd rather manage plugins yourself, you can drop them straight into the plugins folder. Click Open Plugins Folder in the Settings page, or go there directly:

  • %APPDATA%\Roaming\Joystick Diagrams\parser_plugins\
  • %APPDATA%\Roaming\Joystick Diagrams\output_plugins\

Each plugin is a subfolder with an __init__.py and main.py. Restart the application after copying files in.

Plugin Trust & Signing

Plugins run arbitrary Python in the same process as Joystick Diagrams, so 2.2 introduces a signing and trust model to keep you safe. Plugins fall into three states:

Signed & Verified

Ships with a plugin.sig file signed by the Joystick Diagrams developer key. Runs without prompting.

Unsigned

No signature file, or the signature didn't verify. A trust dialog is shown on first use; you choose whether to run it.

Trusted

An unsigned plugin you've approved. The decision is remembered so you're not prompted again.

Only run plugins you trust. Plugins have the same access to your system as Joystick Diagrams itself. If you didn't get a plugin from its original author (GitHub repo, Discord, or a site you recognise), don't approve it in the trust dialog.

Uninstalling a Plugin

On the Settings page, community plugins show a trash icon on their card. Click it to remove the plugin files. Your configured settings are preserved, so if you reinstall later, your last configuration is restored.

Bundled plugins can't be uninstalled; they can only be disabled.

Next: Device Management Write your own plugin